State seeks public comment on proposed data center well in Yellowstone County
Caroline Weiss
State officials are taking public comment on a proposed well for a massive data center under development near Broadview.
The proposed well in Yellowstone County would provide water for construction, drinking and potentially cooling for Quantica’s Big Sky Campus. It would draw an estimated 150,000 gallons of water per day during the construction phase, then 20,000 gallons daily for drinking water after.
The water would come from the Madison aquifer, which is beneath the aquifer where most local water is drawn.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments on the proposed well through October 29th.
Herbicide treatment flights in progress near Dillon
Caroline Weiss
Low-flying aircraft are spraying herbicide to fight invasive weeds near Dillon.
The aerial herbicide treatments will be ongoing in the area for several weeks.They’ll start south of Dillon, including Clark and Limekiln Canyons, and move towards the Virginia City area.
The flights were contracted by the Bureau of Land Management to help control invasive and noxious plants that threaten native species. The agency says the flights, performed while native plants are mainly dormant, help ensure herbicide coverage, while minimizing disturbance.
The BLM says there will be signs near impacted roads. While treated public lands will remain open, visitors should avoid contact with sprayed areas.
Emergency drought assistance available to ag producers in 16 Montana counties
Caroline Weiss
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that food producers in many Montana counties are eligible for emergency assistance after intense droughts this spring.
The USDA designated 16 counties as primary natural disaster areas. Those are Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Fergus, Gallatin, Golden Valley, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Meagher, Prairie, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Wheatland and Yellowstone counties. An additional 21 contiguous counties are also eligible for assistance.
Producers in these areas can apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency to help them recover. Applications are due May 17 next year.
Federal grants give Montana ambulance services a $9 million boost
Aaron Bolton
Ambulance services across the state will receive nearly $9 million from a federal program. The state health department made that announcement this week.
The Rural Health Transformation Program is meant to help states weather major cuts to Medicaid passed by Congress last year.
Montana will receive about a billion dollars over five years. EMS agencies are among the first to receive grant funding from the program.
The money will replace four ambulances, some of which are over 20 years old. Seventy-five EMS agencies will use grant funds to replace critical equipment like ventilators and cardiac monitors.
Ambulance services have been struggling to keep their doors open in rural areas because reimbursement from insurance isn’t keeping up with costs. Many people don’t pay their portion of the bill, and staff turnover is also a major problem.
State health officials say EMS agencies will receive grants from the rural health fund through 2030.
